One of the best movies of all time is finally out on DVD

Cafe Society
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Ugetsu
Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953. (Also known as* Ugetsu Monagatori*.)

Here’s my review, fromThe Scarecrow Video Movie Guide:
The first time I saw this movie reminded me of my first time seeing The Passion of Joan of Arc, or Solyaris: like I had found something I had lost. Ugetsu is the story of two couples in 16th century Japan (a brother and sister and their respective spouses) and the misadventures that befall them when they set out from their village to sell pottery in the city. A hauntingly beautiful meditation on the private but universal struggle between love and greed, Ugetsu, which translates (it says here) as “Tales of a Pale and Mysterious Moon After the Rain,” feels exactly like you’d expect film with that title to feel: it has the visual texture and depth of Dreyer’s greatest films and the comfortable sadness of Ozu’s masterpieces. Truly one of the most rewarding moviegoing experiences of my life.

Roger Ebert paid tribute to *Ugetsu *in one of his “Great Movies” columns.

Let’s hope this is the first of many Mizoguchi titles to receive the Criterion treatment. I’d camp out in the rain for a week like a Star Wars geek for a DVD copy of Street of Shame.

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Hm. I haven’t seen it, though I do want to, so perhaps I’ll mosey over to Netflix to see if I can add it to my queue.

Allow me to be the first to say welcome back, lissener.

3

Good. Mizoguchi is certainly the creative equal of Ozu & Kurosawa (both of whom have done well by Criterion), though his films are the hardest of the three to obtain.

Now let’s get Sansho the Bailiff, The Life of Oharu, Sisters of the Gion, and especially The Story of the Late Chrysanthemums on disc.

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I’m hoping this is the launch of a series, as is Criterion’s occasional wont.

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Thank you.

6

Great film.

The scene where Tobei goes to get a prostitute and finds his wife working as one is an absolute heartbreaker.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen it and I’m sure Criterion’s print will be better than the ones I’ve seen.

7

I’ve had a homemade DVD off if IFC (personal copy only, from my own DVD recorder), and I was pretty impressed by the quality; I’d only ever seen it on well worn or double-dubbed VHS before. But Criterion always includes such valuable extras that I will be buying the “official” release as soon as it’s out.